How to survive Dry July with your social life intact

Everybody loves the idea of going a month without a drop of liquor passing their lips, but few people love the actual process. But with a few handy tips, it's actually possible to survive Dry July without becoming a total social pariah.

Your first port of call, says CEO of Dry July Brett McDonald, is to acknowledge that for some of you, going a month without bathing in tequila is going to be really tough.

"What we do find is that most people start off the month with a huge mix of emotions like anticipation and excitement, and then find themselves in a rough patch in the middle of the month," Macdonald tells Coach.

"This is when people start to feel frustrated like they're missing out on the great time everybody else is having – but after month is done, you'll be glad you could hold on for the entire time."

Think about your rig

It may be the middle of winter, but it's also the best time to start work on your summer body. This is because summer is traditional drinking season – there's Christmas parties, beach days and family gatherings with annoying relatives that demand a little lubrication.

What that means, is that any healthy habits you form in winter, you're more likely to keep – including how much you regularly drink.

"During the month a lot of people find themselves with a few health benefits – including losing a little weight and generally sleeping better at night," says MacDonald.

"Interestingly, after every Dry July we run a post-event survey that finds 75 percent of the people who complete the month reduce the amount of alcohol they drunk previously, and some stop altogether."

But that's not all – you'll also find yourself mysteriously full of energy on a weekend morning.

"A lot of people find themselves so much more productive – they can wake up on a Sunday and not have that hangover headache," advises MacDonald.

"A great tip to survive a night out is to make yourself a designated driver. This gives your night a sense of purpose, which makes it easier if it starts to drag on."

So if you're being tempted by the daiquiri devil, use the mental image of your future six-pack as motivation to help you say no.

Fake it till you make it

If you tend to be a little more awkward when you're sober, you're going to need a few strategies to make sure you don’t spend the night counting the tiles on the dancefloor or wondering what time the DJ gets up every morning.

To beat this, it helps to "fake" drinking – which means keeping your glass full with a whole range of non-alcoholic drinks. (This doesn't mean you should fake being drunk however, because nobody likes that person.)

"A great tip is to keep your hands busy by filling a wine glass with sparkling water – this way you don’t feel like you're missing out," says MacDonald.

"Another great idea is to ask the bartender if they have any great mocktails they can make you – this way you can try all of the delicious drinks your friends are, but without the effects of ingesting too much alcohol."

Treat yo' self with all of that spare grog money

If your local pub or club is more or less your second home, it’s likely that a lot of your pay cheque goes straight into their tills. So by taking a month off drinking, you're probably going to find yourself with a very tidy financial windfall.

"For some people who are regular drinkers, Dry July will end up saving them a lot of money they may not have realised they were even spending," says MacDonald.

"That's why we recommend treating yourself with the money you've saved, because it's a small reward for going without for a great cause."

It's 2AM, you're sober and you're hating life. How do you keep going?

When you're sober as a nun, places like 40th birthday parties, nightclubs and dinner parties can take on a whole different meaning. There's only so many times you can stand sweaty bodies bumping into you before you want to go home.

When that happens, MacDonald recommends thinking back to why you're doing Dry July in the first place – and it's got nothing to do with your health, or your bank account.

"The biggest benefit of doing Dry July isn't the physical or monetary benefits – it's the sense of achievement that you've raised some money for a really worthy cause," says MacDonald.

"What people find is that when they go out and others see that they aren't drinking, it becomes a real conversation starter about the relationship we have with alcohol."

"You don't always need alcohol to celebrate something, or even to relax – what Dry July does is open up a conversation about how we use alcohol in certain social situations."

It’s the worthiest cause of all

As MacDonald explains, going a month without alcohol to most of us is like a fun little personal challenge – but the money you'll raise will go towards seriously helping to improve somebody's quality of life.

"Although we treat Dry July as light-hearted personal challenge, the money you raise goes to an incredibly worthy cause, which assist 45 different cancer services around the country," says MacDonald.

"The money goes to a whole range of services to make the lives of cancer sufferers easier – things like chemotherapy chairs, patient transportation and even iPads so patients far from home can contact and talk to their families."

Dry July kicks off today, so it's not too late to start your month as a teetotaler. To join the cause and raise some money head to www.dryjuly.com.